Community Highlights: Meet Sharnay Brown of Trauma & Anxiety Resolution

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharnay Brown.

Hi Sharnay, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Thanks, my name is Sharnay Brown. I’m a practicing psychologist in the state of Colorado, which means I have my doctorate in clinical psychology and went to WAY too much school.  As a Colorado Native, I love everything outdoors and spend much of my free time in the mountains.

I started finding myself having an interest in psychology at a young age. Since I was a child, I was interested in people’s behavior. I pondered what leads people to criminal activity and to break from social norms. This guided me to my initial interest in forensic psychology. At the University of Idaho, I received my B.S. with a dual major in criminal justice and psychology with a minor in sociology. Continuing on the forensic psychology route, I focused on schools that specialized in forensics, which led me to Nova Southeastern University in South Florida.

While earning my doctorate, I worked with substance abuse and mental illness alongside county and federal correctional facilities. Through my studies, the one thing that I continued to see was how trauma impacted every aspect of a person’s individual and cultural life. This led me to an empathic style of therapy, with compassion for the wounds that people are trying to heal as a result of their experiences, and how trauma shapes their behavior.

These realizations changed my trajectory from forensics to trauma. Shifting gears professionally, I completed my pre and post-doctoral fellowship, specializing in PTSD, at two separate Veterans Affairs hospitals. After completing my licensure and training, I returned to my home state of Colorado, to served as an outpatient psychologist working with underserved populations at Denver Health, which is considered a safety net hospital and cannot turn any patient away, regardless of income, insurance coverage, or immigration status.

After years of serving in Colorado, I moved abroad a few months before the pandemic. Since the world closed down within a matter of weeks, nonessential workers were forced to work from home which enabled access to remote therapy.

Upon returning to Colorado, I began to expand my business along the front range and the state, which has enabled our access to care and for others to open their options to therapy, whether online in Colorado or in-person, in Denver, Lakewood, and Colorado Springs.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Working with traumatized individuals is incredibly rewarding, but can be exhausting at times, as you must learn to hold space for so much hurt, reactivity, and the struggles of a variety of individuals.

My graduate program excelled at training me to be a strong clinician. However, they did not provide guidance to training on how to run a business. As a result, there has been a large learning curve in what it takes to build a small business and run it well while keeping the client’s care the priority.  I still feel that I have so much to learn and am so grateful for other strong female entrepreneurs that have guided me along the way.

We’ve been impressed with Trauma & Anxiety Resolution, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Trauma is a deeply distressing or disturbing experience and can come in many forms such as sexual or physical assault, a toxic relationship, childhood neglect/abuse, car accidents, or threat to physical/emotional safety. It may also be events that happened over weeks or years within a family, growing up in an environment that was detached or chaotic. These events may leave people feeling shame, helpless, guilty, or lost. People may also have difficulties connecting with others, controlling their responses, or feeling numb/disconnected from themselves and their lives.

Our Colorado-based team uses scientifically proven techniques that place a strong emphasis on helping individuals learn to have compassion and understanding for their stories and learn to manage their lives guided by their values. Through exercises in and out of the session, we will help them develop coping skills to help rewrite their narrative into the story that they want.

We act as a guide to assist people in identifying these stories that are unique to the individual, using proven methods to teach more effective ways of coping, relieve symptoms and become more satisfied in life. We want people to know that they are capable and worthy of profound connection, purpose, and fulfillment – we are here to help them build their new story.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
This is a tough question. If I had to pick one, I would have to say it would be when my mother at the end of the day, would come to sit on my bed right before I’d go to sleep and create space to listen to whatever was on my mind that day.  She would show genuine interest, ask questions, and help me work through whatever was occurring for me regardless of how big or small. This provided a strong foundation for me in feeling seen in those moments and creating space for others as well.

Pricing:

• Fee for Service: $150-200/session
• Our practice Accepts Aetna, Optum/United Healthcare Insurance, HSA/FSA
• Superbills can be provided to submit to insurance for reimbursement or to count toward the deductible.

Contact Info:

• Website: traumaanxiety.com
• Email: admin@traumaanxiety.com
• Phone: 720-251-2788